1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing lure apparatuses and, more particularly, to fishing lure apparatuses especially adapted for not snagging weeds while in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of fishing lures is well known in the art of fishing. One problem associated with many lures is that the hooks on the lures snag onto weeds that are present in the water. When this occurs, the effectiveness of the hooks may be reduced, and the lure may lose its characteristics for luring fish.
Throughout the years, a number of innovations have been developed relating to fishing lures that are designed to avoid snagging weeds, and the following U.S. patents are representative of some of those innovations: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,146,706; and 5,218,778. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,706 discloses a weedless fishing lure apparatus in which a plurality of fish hooks are protected by a corresponding plurality opposing shanks which normally engage the tips of the hooks. When a fish strikes, the shanks are moved away from the tips of the hooks, and the hooks can set in the striking fish. A disadvantage of this fishing lure apparatus is due to the fact that the shanks must be individually set on corresponding hooks. Such an operation is tedious and may be dangerous if the tip of the hooks accidentally penetrate the skin of the fisherman. In this respect, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus avoided the use of individual shanks for protecting individual hook tips.
Another disadvantage associated with the fishing lure apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,706 is the fact that once the tips of the hooks are exposed, there is no source of driving force for driving the hooks into the striking fish. In this respect, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus included elements to provide a driving force for driving a hook into a striking fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,778 discloses a fishing lure in which a hook rotates around a pivot. Before the fish strikes, the tip of the hook is protected by the body of the lure. After the fish strikes the lure, the tip of the hook is driven into the fish by the force of the fish biting the lure. One disadvantage of this lure is that the force by which the hook is driven into the fish is primarily dependent upon the force by which the fish strikes at the lure. If the fish strikes at the lure with substantial force, then the hook is driven into the fish with substantial force. However, if the fish strikes at the lure with minimal force, then the hook may not even have enough driving force to penetrate into the fish. In this respect, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus provided a substantially large driving force for driving a hook into a fish even if the force of the strike of the fish is minimal.
As second disadvantage of the lure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,778 is the path of motion taken by the tip of the hook as it leaves the lure housing and penetrates into the fish. The path of motion is circular around a central pivot point. Such a circular motion causes the tip of the hook to leave the lure housing in a circular manner and causes the tip of the hook to penetrate the mouth tissues of the fish in a tangential manner. The tangential penetration pattern permits a hook tip to glance off or bounce off the mouth tissues of the fish, whereby the hook may bounce back into the lure housing so that the tip of the hook is once again shielded by the lure housing. In this respect, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus caused a tip of a hook to penetrate into mouth tissues of a fish in a longitudinal manner so that the tip of the hook would not bounce off mouth tissues of the fish and return to the lure housing.
In addition, the following U.S. patents disclose some additional innovations in the art of fishing: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,123,196; 5,195,267; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 289,789. More specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,196 discloses a fishing lure that has an unprotected hook on a flexible tether that is jerked upward toward a housing to set the hook in a fish when the fish strikes at the hook. Clearly, a problem associated with this device is that the unprotected hook can easily snag weeds. Another problem is that the flexible tether can become twisted or entangled with weeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,267 discloses a tension responsive fishing apparatus that employs a complex fishing rod and complex electronic modules for controlling operation of the complex rod. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 289,789 discloses an artificial fishing hook that employs two hook portion placed in tandem along a common shaft. No means are provided for actively driving a hook into a fish once the fish makes a strike at the hook.
Still other features would be desirable in a fishing lure apparatus. For example, to ensure that a protected hook were deep inside a fish's mouth before the hook were released from its protection to penetrate the fish, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus had a hook assemblage at one end of a lure housing and a trigger for releasing the hook assemblage from the lure housing at another end of the lure housing. Furthermore, for a hook assemblage having a plurality of hooks, it would be desirable if a common shaft were provided for supporting the plurality of hooks, and it would be desirable if a single trigger mechanism were provided for setting and releasing the common shaft.
When a mouth of a fish is open, such as when the fish opens its mouth just prior to biting down on a fishing lure, the lure enters the mouth in a substantially longitudinal direction along a longitudinal axis. However, when the fish closes its mouth to bite down on the lure, the mouth parts move in a direction that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis. With these facts in mind, it would be desirable if a fishing lure apparatus permitted a protected hook assemblage to enter a fish's mouth along a longitudinal axis and provided for triggering release of the hook assemblage from protection upon receiving a triggering force that operates transverse to the longitudinal axis.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use protected hooks in fishing lures to prevent snagging of weeds, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a fishing lure apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) avoids the use of individual shanks for protecting individual hook tips; (2)includes elements to provide a driving force for driving a hook into a striking fish; (3) provides a substantially large driving force for driving a hook into a fish even if the force of the strike of the fish is minimal; (4) causes a tip of a hook to penetrate into mouth tissues of a fish in a longitudinal manner so that the tip of the hook would not bounce off mouth tissues of the fish and return to the lure housing; (5) has a hook assemblage at one end of a lure housing and a trigger for releasing the hook assemblage from the lure housing at another end of the lure housing; (6) provides a common shaft for supporting a plurality of hooks; (7) provides a single trigger mechanism for setting and releasing a common plural-hook-supporting shaft; and (8) permits a protected hook assemblage to enter a fish's mouth along a longitudinal axis and provides for triggering release of the hook assemblage from protection upon receiving a triggering force that operates transverse to the longitudinal axis. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique fishing lure apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.